What Pregnant Women Need to Know About the Zika Virus

Summary: If a patient has been exposed to an infected mosquito, what are the chances the Zika virus will cause mutation in her unborn child?

Air Date: 1/29/16

Duration: 10

Host: Leigh Vinocur, MD

Guest Bio: Daniel Saltzma, MD

Dr. Daniel Saltzman is a board certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist with subspecialty certification in Maternal Fetal Medicine. He currently serves as a Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.He completed his MFM fellowship training at the Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and has since held numerous leadership positions while serving on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, SUNY Stony Brook and New York University.

He has been recognized with several awards as an authority in the field of high risk obstetrics and has authored many publications, book reviews and chapters, has received NIH research grant funding, and is a regular lecturer on perinatal issues.

If you've been watching the news lately, you might have seen a few stories on the Zika virus.

Back in 2015, Brazil was the first country to notice an increase of birth defects that were also coinciding with the Zika virus outbreak the country was dealing with.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the virus is "spreading explosively" in the Americas, and as many as three to four million people could be exposed to the virus within the next 12 months.

What is the Zika virus?

The Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites and can cause fever, rash, conjunctivitis, and joint pain. If you're pregnant while infected with the Zika virus, your baby is at risk for birth defects and poor pregnancy outcomes. However, 80 percent of people infected don't show any symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement that pregnant women should not travel to Brazil, Coloumbia, El Salvador, French Guina, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, and many other South American countries where the Zika virus is present.

What else do pregnant women need to know about the virus?

Listen in as Daniel Saltzma, MD, shares everything you need to know about the Zika virus and the dangers posed to pregnant women.